Gravitas
by Twilight Sheep
Summary: When Lu Ten died, everything he did ceased also. That is, except his forbidden relationship with an Earth Kingdom woman. She bears his illegitimate child and soon, the child's presence becomes a threat to the Fire Nation...
1. Chapter One: Soldier Boy

I should stop writing new fics, or else I will never finish my other fics. But I love Lu Ten, and think he deserves some respect. Another crazy What-if!fic by me. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother...?

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Chapter One: Soldier Boy

His presence was once revered, the future prospect of him ruling over such a vast army and land. The military would be in his hands, an empire in his reach and war would be on his mind.

Prince Lu Ten, son of the great Dragon of the West, the once future Fire Lord after Iroh resigned or died. He was no bloodthirtsy, insane leader like Fire Lord Azulon. He was a great stragetist, a clever man and knew how to make a mean tea.

Iroh had done well raising his pride and joy, his little soldier boy who always came marching home. Until that one day when Lu Ten did not come marching home.

--

Iroh's wrists hurt and became calloused, the shackles were firebending-proof and were rough. His own niece, Princess Azula, had him locked up in the dungeons. He was all alone in his small, bleak cell, being watched over by ten Dai Li. He hung his head, in deep thought and exhaled softly.

His own nephew, the exiled Prince Zuko, had made his choice. He still loved Zuko as a son, even if he was mislead.

Iroh felt some shame, old shame that he had pushed aside for so long. Years worth of guilt.

If Lu Ten, his treasured son…hadn't…well…died.

Iroh knew his son died proudly, but after his death, he himself faltered. The Siege of Ba Sing Se was discontinued. He had to do it.

It was his own son who died.

--

_"Lu Ten!" yelled a short woman, her black-brown hair in a long braid, stood on the tip or her toes to look for her love._

_A taller man, his brown hair in a regal bun, his beard combed and looking proud and valiant in his scarlet and black aromor, his helmet in his hands, approached the young woman, her eyes filled with anxiety._

_"Lu Ten...please..."_

_"Tsuchiko...I'm sorry. This relationship we have...my army could kill you," Lu Ten spoke solemnly, not shedding a tear or showing weakness._

_Tsuchiko bit her lip, tears welling up in her sad green eyes and collapsed to her knees, she could barely stand._

_"Lu Ten, please...I love you!" she weeped, but to no avail._

_Tsuchiko, on her knees, looked up to see her beloved in his war armor. Lu Ten closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, what his father had taught him to do before a big speech._

_"Tsuchiko...even if we are successful with Ba Sing Se...I could never be with you. The Fire Nation would cause an uproar. I love you...but I am expected to run the Fire Nation one day. I must let you go. It must be done," he explained to the crying woman._

_Tsuchiko sniffled and covered her face in her hands, still crying._

_"...I...don't care! Even if you are the Earth Kingdom's sworn enemy, even if you are part of this damned war..." Tsuchiko whispered, through her crying._

_Lu Ten exhaled slowly and bent down to Tsuchiko and gave her one last kiss, then standing back up and slipping on his helmet, which covered his face. The design made his head look like a skull, which slightly frightened Tsuchiko._

_She touched her lips where Lu Ten had kissed her as she watched her beloved walk away from her on the hilltop._

_"I'm sorry," whispered Lu Ten, when he was far away from the woman filled with sorrow. _

_Tsuchiko hung her head in guilt. She didn't mention it to him and didn't want him to know about it._

_She was carrying his child._

--

Iroh missed his son very much. Lu Ten had no children, no one that was his kin and even if he did...things would be different for the Royal Family of the Fire Nation.

Iroh sadly shook his head. There was no way Lu Ten had any children. He would have needed to be married first, and even then, to find a suitable woman to marry. Only the finest for a prince. It would be impossible for Lu Ten to have had a relationship. He would've known.

He started to snooze, dreaming about his little soldier boy.

_--_


	2. Chapter Two: Ri Len

I couldn't think of a good name for the child until it hit me. Quite figuratively. It didn't actually HIT me in the head :)

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Chapter Two: Ri Len

His black hair was flat on his head, his amber eyes piercing through the crowd of people. Zuko felt a sickness in his stomach, another sign of major guilt of betraying his Uncle Iroh.

He started to feel some regret. Regaining honor didn't feel as...glorious as he thought it would be. Azula had barely cared about him, sending him out on errands and such. Like today.

_"Zuzu, could you get me something? Here's the list." Azula shoved the list towards Zuko._

Scratch that. Zuko really regretted his choice. Unfortunately, he couldn't get himself out of this hole. He couldn't even get near Uncle Iroh and even if he could, Iroh would give him the cold shoulder.

So now here he was, in a small bazaar, looking for the items on the list. The first item was...

_Polish for Mai. She needs it for her weapons. _Azula's handwriting was neat and perfect.

Zuko hadn't seen Mai or Ty Lee in years, but wasn't exactly ecstatic when he found out they were her henchwomen. Mai was still weird and Ty Lee...was still bubbly and naive.

Zuko looked around for polish but anything involving cleaning supplies and utensils were closed.

_Ugh._

He moved on to the next item: _I want an apple. Dark red, no bruises, perfect. If it's light red, there will be dire consequences._

"She's crazier than I thought," he muttered, looking for a dark red apple. It must've been out of season because there were only light red apples.

"You have any dark red apples?" Zuko asked a fruit merchant. The man looked at him and roared in laughter.

"Dark red? Hahaha! You're serious, right?" he said through laughing.

"I take that as a no," Zuko replied and left the merchant.

_Azula must've known this...she's just toying with me now. The next item will probably be dragon teeth or something impossible to obtain._

The next item was a...a...-

"S-sorry sir! I am really, really sorry!" apologized a small boy.

Zuko didn't even realize someone bumped into him until he saw the small boy. His yellow eyes were showing sadness and his tustled brown-black hair hid his other eye.

Zuko stared at the boy.

_Yellow eyes? Weird._

"Um...I lost my way home. Can you help me? Please?" he begged.

Zuko was about to push the kid away, and say he had things to do but this little boy looked up at him like he was his brother. Zuko hadn't seen that face in a very long time, or ever. Azula didn't ever look up to him.

"...Okay. Is it close? I have to do some important things," Zuko asked, still reluctant about helping this little boy.

He smiled and took his arm.

"I think it's over there but I don't wanna get lost!" he said, pulling the young man's arm and finding his way out of the crowd.

--

It was nearing late afternoon and Zuko and the boy were in the shabby, broke down part of Ba Sing Se. He knew this part of Ba Sing Se was dangerous and didn't want to be there too long.

"Hey! Wow, it's my house! Thanks!" he said with glee as he knocked on the door. A woman with a small frame and her brown hair in a messy bun appeared.

"Oh! You! What did I tell you about coming home late!" she raised her finger at the young boy.

"Sorry Mom. But then this guy agreed to help me! See?" he pointed to Zuko besides him, feeling rather awkward.

She inhaled sharply, but then calmed down.

"Well...thank you, kind young man. Do you want dinner? I am cooking fish," she coaxed him.

Zuko quickly shook his head.

"...I can't. I'm very busy, and I have to go," he refused.

She looked at him.

"Surely you must be a little hungry? I want to thank you for helping my son find his home."

His stomach grumbled, and even though Zuko's brain was telling him to not accept, his stomach won.

"I'll stay ten minutes."

The little boy smiled with glee.

"Come in! I'll give you a tour of my house!" he said with glee, leading the black haired youth around the tiny apartment.

The woman bit her lip. His yellow eyes were bothering her, eyes that were familiar to her.

--

"Hey, what's your name?" The little boy asked Zuko at the small wooden table. His mother had placed the fish on the table, the aroma made everyone's stomachs grumble.

Zuko didn't answer at first and then lied,

"Li."

He smiled.

"That's a good name. My name's Ri Len. My mom's name is Tsuchiko!" Ri Len said.

Tsuchiko looked at Ri Len but didn't say anything and let it go.

"So...Li, what brings a young man like you to Ba Sing Se?" she asked, looking at Zuko when she asked him.

He lied again.

"To start over."

_I could taste the irony in that, _Zuko thought, his explanation was plain and common, but Tsuchiko nodded and gave him some more water to drink.

"So did we, right Mom?" Ri Len agreed. Tsuchiko nodded.

"Yes. We did. All we can afford right now is this small shack...but if I get that promotion..." Tsuchiko hoped.

Ri Len finished his dinner and yelled,

"Watch this, Li!" he grabbed his plate and held it near Zuko.

Zuko looked at what Ri Len was about to do. Tsuchiko snapped out of her daydream and knew what Ri Len was about to do and tried to stop him.

"RI LEN!" she roared, but she yelled too late. Ri Len was grinning.

Zuko spat out his water in astonishment and Tsuchiko froze, her expression in utter distress.

Ri Len had set the plate on fire.

--

Oooh, left you at a cliffhanger! You'll just have to sit tight until I update it!


	3. Chapter Three: Lies and Truth

Bet you're just dying to know what happens next aren't you? This is somewhat speculating what the Fire Nation's customs are on marriage and I hope it seems plausible. Now here is chapter three!

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Chapter Three: Lies and Truth

Ri Len was smiling until he felt silence and opened his eyes. Tsuchiko looked furious and Zuko looked shocked.

"Mom? Are you mad?" Ri Len gulped, fearing he would get punished by his mom in front of Zuko.

Tsuchiko was about to roar at him, but not infront of Zuko. She faced him and said in a shaky voice,

"Li...are you-?"

Zuko was utterly confused. How could he firebend? Zuko observed Ri Len's face and had a hunch.

_His eyes are yellow. Yellow eyes are sacred to only the Fire Nation...my nation._

Ri Len put out the fire on his plate and hung his head in shame.

"Li...do you hate me?" he asked, afraid Zuko would freak out.

Tsuchiko didn't say a word. This Li...he wasn't afraid of Ri Len. She felt some relief but then realized another unfortunate possibility. What if Li spread the word around? What if...

"Please, do not think ill will towards my son. Are you...going to tell?" Tsuchiko clasped her hands together and bit her lip.

Zuko knew he couldn't say anything about them, but he had a few questions of his own.

"I'm not going to say anything, but.. are you two from the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked.

_Maybe I'm not the only one, _thought Zuko. Even if they did explain, not like Zuko would spill the beans about him.

Ri Len backed off, going to his room and leaving Tsuchiko to talk.

_I won't tell this stranger anything important. Not about who his father really was. I'd be killed if people found out, but I can't hide the fact his father was a firebender._

"I myself am not from the Fire Nation. I hope you can understand, Li. Ri Len's father was from the Fire Nation," she spoke quiickly, hoping she wouldn't get scolded and yelled at by Zuko. He didn't say a word.

"Since we both knew our relationship could cause trouble and stir up some unwelcome...guests...he left me eight years ago, during the Siege at Ba Sing Se. He died right before Ri Len was born, which was when the siege failed."

Zuko soaked in all this information as Tsuchiko looked at him.

_A child before being married? This man couldn't have possibly come from the Fire Nation. It's rule to be married before having a child and even then, the couple would have to wait a year before they could have a child. Least of all, it's unheard of to marry a woman not from the Fire Nation! Ri Len is a bastard child!_

Being raised in a society where marriage comes before the child, Zuko was surprised and a bit confused about Tsuchiko's plight. He understood most of it. He kept quiet, thinking over what had happened in these minutes.

"You're hiding somethiing, Li. I've seen that look before..." Tsuchiko asked nonchalantly, and she refered to when her love had hidden secrets from her and wanted to know.

"Me? Hiding something? No. I'm just someone who wants to start over," Zuko half smiled nervously.

_There is no way I'm telling this nosy woman everything. She reminds me of Ty Lee, that nosy, obnoxious girl._

Tsuchiko washed the dishes, still expecting an answer from the young man.

"Yes, and my son just didn't firebend. It's okay to tell me, I won't say a word. I have to keep my son's ability a secret, no?" she hummed a tune while washing.

Zuko shifted his amber eyes. She did have a point.

_I'm just going to say I'm from the Fire Nation. That's it. That's all I'm going to say, _he coached himself.

"I am from the Fire Nation also."

Tsuchiko wasn't in the least bit surprised. Zuko at first wondered why but then realized Tsuchiko was no stupid woman. She knew right from the start when she saw him at the front door.

"You knew, didn't you? You just wanted for me to tell you!" he exclaimed.

Tsuchiko finished her chore and turned around, smiling.

"Yes. Don't worry, I bear no ill will towards you. I won't tell," she smiled, then looked outside.

"I do recall, didn't you say you were in a hurry, Li?"

Zuko remembered as the jolt through his brain made him slightly panic. He didn't show it though.

_Azula's going to kill me. Well...at least I learned something new. Iroh would've loved her cooking...Uncle Iroh..._

Zuko thanked Tsuchiko and before he left, Ri Len ran up behind him and asked,

"Li? Are you going to come visit soon?" Ri Len looked up, facing the scar-faced teen. Zuko couldn't say no to his little face. Ri Len looked nearly like him when he was his age.

"Sometime. Maybe then...I could, oh I don't know, watch you firebend?" Zuko said in a tone he didn't recognize. It felt weird for him and the feeling felt weird also. He felt as if he were an actual older brother, not scum like Azula treated him.

Ri Len lit up.

"Really! Wow! Come back soon, Li!" he said giddily as Tsuchiko patted her son on the head. She watched Zuko walk away in the early night.

She stared into the night for a while, as Ri Len stood next to her silently.

_He looks like Lu Ten..no, it can't be. There's no way Li could be related to him. Anyway, most people from the Fire Nation have yellow-goldish amber eye colors and black and maybe brown hair. He is interesting though and Ri Len has become attached to him. I hope to see Li soon._

She assured herself as she closed the door.


End file.
